Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2008 March 23

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March 23

RAW SCORE

IN MEDICAL EVALUATION: WHAT IS RAW SCORE AND WEIGHTED SCORE?

A raw score is simply the number of questions gotten right, points received, or something similar on an examination. Weighted scores weight certain sections or categories to give them more or less influence on the overall score. -Elmer Clark (talk) 10:49, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

There is even an article on raw score. ---Sluzzelin talk 13:27, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

"Leading sour cream dip"

What is the "leading sour cream dip" that Philadelphia dips are advertised as having less fat than? NeonMerlin 05:49, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

In 2005, the market leader in sour cream production appears to have been Daisy Brand Sour Cream (16.69% market share), closely followed by Kraft Foods' Breakstone's Sour Cream (15.72%) . See DairyField Don't know about dips. What brand does McDonald's use? ---Sluzzelin talk 09:03, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

It's just a marketing phrase. Admiral Norton ^(talk) 17:46, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Uses of expired milk

Can long-expired milk be used for any purpose, culinary or otherwise? NeonMerlin 06:01, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

No, it absolutely cannot. Spoiled milk contains a large number of disease-producing bacteria, including staph and bacilli, as well as yeasts and molds. All of these can cause serious food poisoning, and some produce toxins that can't be inactivated even by boiling. They also digest the proteins in the milk, causing putrefactive odors and tastes.

This is why it's factually inaccurate to say that yogurt, cheese, etc. are just "rotten milk". (This also explains why people get confused and wonder why they can't drink spoiled milk.) Culturing milk involves the use of certain specific bacteria (mainly members of the Lactobacillus genus) that digest mainly lactose. --NellieBly (talk) 08:13, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

To add to my previous comment - because of the high bacteria load, it isn't a good idea to use it in any non-food ways, either, because it would be dangerous to even handle it excessively. I wouldn't even put it in my compost pile. --NellieBly (talk) 08:14, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Come,come the compost will survive - that's probably were the bacteria that started it hang out anyway.87.102.16.238 (talk) 11:33, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, actually, no. The average home compost pile is notoriously unable to deal with meats, dairy products, and fats. If you put a bunch of those into your compost pile, they will turn into a stinky, disgusting mess. (And I'm talking the-neighbors-two-houses-down-will-complain stinky.) I'm not sure whether the other bacteria and their by-products would active poison your compost, but they certainly won't do anything good for it, either. Pour the rotten milk down the drain. —Steve Summit (talk) 14:35, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

ooooh... what about yogurt that has been left out of the frig all night, not stowed before hitting the sack, having been left on the counter after shopping that same morning? Smells okay - just a lot warmer than I'm use to with the strawberries a bit squishier than I like and the container a bit swollen but still sealed. 71.100.1.14 (talk) 11:16, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I've never known yoghurt not be ok - I'd put that back in the fridge (because I like yoghurt cold) and yes - still eat it.87.102.16.238 (talk) 11:33, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I once took a swig out of a gallon of milk that turned out to have gone bad, wow, that was the grossest thing I've ever tasted. Useight (talk) 15:25, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

In my opinion it really depends on several factors the first being how long past the sell date is it. If milk is kept cold it is supposed to be good for up to a week after the sell by date. Also if it has not gone sour you can freeze it for cooking. I have made soup with milk I have frozen many times with fine results. It tends to be a little too watery to drink after being frozen. Also I agree that you should not discard it in your compost pile as it does not improve the quality of the compost, but rather the opposite can occur.

You can pour spoiled milk on masonry and garden sculpture to "age" it. Have fun. Paul

Question: insects and insect repellant

What is the longest time an insect has been on a person who has used pour-on insect repellent? 58.164.118.252 (talk) 11:18, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Now that's an interesting question...you could try looking at insect repellent reviews, but aside from that it may be hard to find an answer to that :). FusionMix 20:29, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Sony Corporate Addresses

Can someone provide me with the physical mailing addresses for the Sony Corporation's main office in the USA and their main corporate headquarters in Japan? I would appreciate it greatly. 95springer (talk) 16:21, 23 March 2008 (UTC)John

1-7-1 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0075, Japan [1] and 550 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10022 [2] — Matt Eason ^{(Talk • Contribs)} 16:27, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

What was the first edit ever made on Wikipedia?

I'm just curious. Also, what was the first case of vandalism? MalwareSmarts (talk) 17:11, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

This is the oldest edit still preserved, although there were probably edits made prior to this. Carom (talk) 17:21, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

(For some explanation of the edit, you might be interested in the current version of that page) Angus Lepper^{(T, C, D)} 18:27, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! :)

Oldest Living Person Still Living Independently

I am trying to find out the age of the oldest living person still residing in their own home versus a retirement home or other institution. Missymiss1000 (talk) 19:56, 23 March 2008 (UTC)missymiss1000

Here's a link to a New York Times article about the topic: click here. That's for oldest woman, try this for a list of oldest people in general. FusionMix 20:24, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

According to this source it seems to be CoppBob ;-) --hydnjo talk 20:35, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, but I live in an "independent-living" retirement community in Ann Arbor,Michigan. CoppBob (talk) 02:24, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

That makes him only 87. Let's not confuse anybody here... FusionMix 20:46, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, sorreeeee ;-)  ;-) ;-) --hydnjo talk 21:19, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I recently read about a plumber in the UK who, at the age of 101, still goes to work every day and refused to have a day off for his 100th birthday. There must be a refence around somewhere. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:51, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=757172. It seems he is going to run the London Marathon this year as well. Good luck, Buster ! --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 22:55, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Well all the same I think we should recognize our oldest contributer, CoppBob, before he is replaced by some youngster.

Happy next birthday CoppBob! From hydnjo talk and the rest of the WP gang.

My grandmother will be 107 this July and still lives in her own home and takes care of herself. She is as sharp as a tack, has a great sense of humour and keeps up on local and world news. She was the primary caregiver for her son until he passed away. Her 3 children and predeceased her.209.135.112.55 (talk) 13:05, 24 March 2008 (UTC)missymiss1000

trolls (2)

are all trolls dumb? how does the troll intelligence distribution fare against that of non-troll internet people? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Happyangler (talk • contribs) 21:34, 23 March 2008

Is this a real question or a troll? Who can tell! Anyway, lacking any sort of rigorous study of trolls vs. non-trolls I think it is pretty much safe to say that nobody knows. --Captain Ref Desk (talk) 21:45, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

1) No, not all.

2) See the Captain's response above. --hydnjo talk 22:25, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

most of us get viewed as both from time to time

Interesting. From the article, "Intelligence may include traits such as creativity, personality, character, knowledge, or wisdom. However, some psychologists prefer not to include these traits in the definition of intelligence." Hmmm... If both trolls and non-trolls are smart then how it's contributed and valued comes into it. Your question raises interesting questions – would a troll care about the answer? Julia Rossi (talk) 22:45, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

I've actually managed to get a couple of trolls into a one-on-one conversation in a newsgroup, and they were dumb as dirt. It was pathetic, and I now feel sorry for them, mostly. They feel left out and inferior, so they try to get the upper hand any way they can to make themselves feel like they have some control. I'm sure there are other kinds, though. --Milkbreath (talk) 23:23, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Trolls are either really dumb and don’t have anything better to do with their lives, or they are really smart and are consciously trying, for whatever reason, to spread ciaos and destruction in a given internet community. The smart ones are the dangerous ones. I don’t have any sources for any of this though. :) Here’s an interview with a self proclaimed Wikipedia troll. I find this interview confusing to follow though. --S.dedalus (talk) 23:50, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

The vast majority of "trolls" I've met weren't really trolls. The ones that really were trolls have generally been pretty sharp. -GTBacchus^(talk) 23:56, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Intelligence (a few more human traits come to mind) is party evaluated by the quality of its public application and public reception.

• Consider, for instance, Sequoia, whose efforts in devising the Cherokee writing system was considered by some to be just trolling by a busybody smart arse.
• Consider the option that the Pope and the cardinals may be seen as a bunch of obnoxious trolls by other cultures.
• Consider the stance of a blind person to whom Michelangelo, Picasso and the WP:RD are arrogant trolling agencies who aim to exclude her/him from participation.

Having said that, I partly agree with Milkbreath. Most people who embark on pathological attempts to gain attention (= trolling / sometimes vandalism) suffer from some psychological problems, diminished self esteem and feel the sense of powerlessness. My working assumption, however, is that the psychological condition is unrelated to intelligence.

As Julia Rossi says, the method of contribution and the method of evaluation seems to count more than the weight and substance of the contribution. I am, of course, excluding gross and malicious vandalism. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 00:05, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

The question asking if there is a correlation between the intelligence of trolls and non-trolls is nonsensical. Trolls aren't trolls because of their intelligence. Humans can be trolls because humans have free will. Neal (talk) 02:19, 24 March 2008 (UTC).

I want to become a troll/. Any advice welcome

Looks like you’re a natural. :) --S.dedalus (talk) 03:36, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Have a look at our article on trolls and Norse mythology. The entry, memorably, describes them as "small giants". There is also a paleontologist who hypothesises that trolls are ancient memories of Neanderthal folks. Fascinating stuff if you wish to attain the exalted level of a professional trollop. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 15:00, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Of course, I meant to say "...professional troll, OP"! This must be contagious. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 15:27, 24 March 2008 (UTC)